Car end construction.



V. M. SUM MA.

OAR END CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED JULY 3, 1912.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

WITNESSES W INVENTQR QM BY ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEY UNITED s'r 'rEs PATENT OFFICE.

VICTOR M. SUMMA, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR T AIY EEBICAN CAR AND FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

' can END CONSTRUCTION.

' PatentedSept. 1, 1914..

Application filed July 3, 1912. Serial No. 707,639.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VICTOR-M. .SUMMA, re-

' siding at St. Louis, Missouri, andbeing a citizen of the United States, have invented "certain new and useful Improvements in Car End Construction, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact (1BSC1lptl011 such aswill enable others skilled in the art .to which it appertainsto make and to, use

the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is f to be understood that the invention is not 7 limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof willoccur to I persons skilled in the art.

A} ingsuch an end plate.

provide a While the invention will be described par- .ticularly with reference to the end plate of a gondola car, it is to be understood that the invention is not specifically. limited to,such a structure, and the novel features disclosed in this application may be applied with obvious mechanical changes and variations-to the sides of cars and to different types of 'car.

The object of the invention is to eliminate the end braces new in general use, and to single integral end plate so stamped to form integral ribs and pockets,

and flanged to form the necessary chords and attaching members.

A further object of the invention is to provide an end plate of a simple, inexpen-- sive and readily formed construction, adapted toaifordmeans for accommodating-the rab rails, brake mast platforms and other xtures from a relatively thin sheeting forming the load retaining wall. The end plate may be. formed in a press and, to facilitate pressing the metal, as well as to insure release of such metalfrem the dies employed, all of the perimetrical flanges formed thereon are caused to extend in the same direction chine-driven rivets.

ject of this is two-fold. First, as above stated, and, secondly,-because the plate with outstanding flanges; that is flanges pro- 1ectedaway from or beyond the body port on of. the car, may be riveted to the lapping side sheets of the body of the car by ma- I A convenient apparatus for, the purpose is a'power-dri'ven rivetmg machine suspendedfrom a suitabl trackway above the Work, and which machine may be raisedor lowered by the operator engaged in setting the rivets, with minimum effort. If the flanges of .the' end plate lap the car body, the process of driving the securing rivets is more diflicult and more expensive. When the horizontal flanges and the vertical flanges are being formed in the press, there is a tendency on the part of the metal to wrinkle, due to torsional stresses set up in the metal. To offset such tendency the transverse corrugations are formed in the sheet, therby not only guarding against such wrinklin but also materially' stiffen-- ing it when finlshed, and it is preferred that such corrugations extend across the major portion of the end sheet. Near the corner portions there is an excessive tendency to wrinkle or bulgeoutwardly in pressing the metal, and to utilize this tendency the invention contemplates the; formation of the crescent-shaped protuberances 10, shown on the drawing, and utilize them as push pole pockets, thus dispensing with the customarily fused separately formed push pole pockets. As the thrust in such pockets is generally toward the middle portion of the oar, the crescent-shaped pocket shown is ,ficie'nt for,all practical purposes of service;

I attain the above outlined objects in general by stamping from the sheet forming the end plate a plurality of ribs and pockets integral with the plate, and forming integral with the plate and outlining the same a continuous flange. a The invention further resides in the assemblage of the endplate above outlined with the usual car members, so as to form, inthis instance, a gondola car of a simple, rigid construction and of a minimum number of parts.

.In the several figures Ihave shown the ion spaced apart longitudinally extending lower side angles or sills A, in this instance shown to be angle-irons having a depending outer flange, supported on a horizontal flange of which side sills and bridging the space be-' tween the same is the bottom or floor B. Fitting against each outer depending flange of the side sill A are the side girders C, the upper edge of each of which is attached t the depending flange of the upper flanges D, which flanges are also shown to be in the form of angle-irons.

Resting upon the floor B, and positioned between the side girders C at each end of the car, is the end plate E, which end plate and its attached parts more particularly form the subject-matter of this invention. The end plate E is shown to be a flat metallic sheeting of the general rectangular shape usual with gondola cars, outlining which are outstanding flanges integral with the plate, the top flange 3 acting as a top chord for the plate and the bottom flange 4: affording a bottom attaching flange,by means of which the end plate E is riveted, or otherwise fastened, to the floor or bottom transverse sill connecting members. This bottom flange 4 acting together with the floor B affords means for connection with the de-- pending draft sills F, lower brake mast bearing bracket G and end steps H, all of.

which members are riveted or otherwise secured by through bolts or rivets to the flange 4 and floor B.

- The outturned side flanges 5 and 6 afford means by which the end plate is fastened to the side girders, and as shown in this in stance, are fastened by means of the through rivets 7-, which not only afford means for.

fastening the end plate and side girder together, but ma for one end 0 the grab-irons J. The end plate E is further braced in position on theside girder C by m'eans'of the top gusset plates K, which bridge the corner between the side girder and end plate and are suitably fastened to the top flange-3 and the upper angle D.

In order to retain the load, a relatively thin metallic end plate is sufficient, but in order to withstand abnormal end shocks it has been found necessary to brace this end plate, which bracing has usually been accomplished by' means of separate end bracings extending horizontally across the. end plate, I attain the same brac ing with the minimum amount of material by pressing from the body of the plate E horizontally spaced apart corrugations or ribs-8, which project from the plate preferably in the same direction as the flanges 3, 4, 5 and 6, and preferably extending from the plate. a distance equal said flanges. As shown in the illustration, ribs 8 are U-shape in cross section, but it is, of course, to be understood that a V or any other configuration may be used in order to attain the above outlined desideratum.- As shown in Fig. 1, these ribs' terminate which brackets i flanges also afford fastening means ,member: S of the bracket N is to the width of,

within the bounding edge of the plate, so as to leave the flat space 9 between the ribs and the adjacent flanges. While these ribs have beenshown to be two in number, it is to be understood that as many of these ribs may be used as is necessary to brace the particular form of car in which this form of plate ma be used. In order to form lower push polepockets, each lower corner of the plate is pressed intoa project'- ing semicircular ring 10, this pressing preferably extending outwardl that is, in the direction corresponding to theldirection of the ribs It will thus be seen that within a single 8 from the plane of the'plate E.

integral plate there is formed reinforcing the grab-irons I. may be riveted to the flat portion of the rear plate between the ribs 8,'and any torsion in this flatportion, due to a weight on therings of the grab-iron, is

materially resisted by the ribs 8, which ex-- tend in the same direction as thegrab-irons. Further by this construction of end plate, the bra e mast platform M may be supported on outwardly extending brackets N, have vertically extending O, and at opposite ends fastened rivets Q to the .flat portion ofrthe plate The brake mast is herein shown asv havmg 7 mast bracket G, supported from the floor B and lower flange-4, and extending through the said platform M. 1

It will be noted that the brackets N supporting the platform and mast straddle one of the ribs 8, and the downwardly inclined in contact its lower end journaled in, the brake with, or inju xtaposition' to, an-outer edge I of the "rib 8; which construction has thereffect of bracing thejplatform M i and mast R to an end plate which end plate although formed of buckling, due to its corrugations, equal-to an end plate constructed of much thicker material. i

I claim 1. In a 'freight car, a single end plate having an integral outturningand outlining eontinuous flan e aifordin means for at-' taching said en plate to a jacent car members, said plate having integral ribs within said outlining flange and reinforcing said end plate. g

2. In a metal. car, apressed end plate provided with abody portion and horizontally extending integral reinforcing corru-. gations and perimetrical flanges extending outwardly from the car, and side sheets extending beyond the body portion of the thin metal has a resistance to end sheet lapping and being secured by direct rivet connection to sald flange.

3. In a gondola car, an end plate provided with perlmetrical flanges extending outwardly from the transverse portion of said and push pole pockets formed therein near i said flanges, and having transversely extending corrugations across the major portion of said sheet. A

In' witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two Witnesses.

VICTOR M. SUMMA.

Witnesses:

OSCAR HOGHBERG, JAMES J. Coorna. 

